Huge fire tears through Pratt Institute building

A destructive four-alarm fire burned through a building on the campus of the Pratt Institute in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn overnight.

The fire broke out inside the Main Building on Willoughby Avenue just before 2:20 a.m. Friday.

Heavy flames tore through the sixth floor and the roof of the building. Fire, smoke and water also caused damage to the lower floors.

There were no students or faculty inside at the time, and no firefighters were reported injured.

The building has high ceilings, and firefighters said the roof partially collapsed.

Fire marshals are investigating, because there was a large amount of fire upon their arrival. The fire has been deemed suspicious at this time.

The cause is under investigation.

Students said they had a lot of important items on that sixth floor, including paintings and thesis papers. Many gathered to watch the scene unfold. Twitter was also ablaze with tweets about items that might have been lost.

The building houses purely administrative offices on the lower floors and classrooms on the top, so officials emphasized this was not a dorm. The building was locked and supposedly empty, which is why arson is suspected.